


Culture Shock

by yokaiy



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Culture Shock, Deer in headlights, Gen, Minor Original Character(s), Speculative, Spoiler free!, warfare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-05-19 08:01:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5959867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yokaiy/pseuds/yokaiy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kamui was, naturally, nervous for his first battle. If only his fears had been as groundless as Marx reassured him they would be. Now, he finds himself in enemy territory, but the definition of "enemy" is becoming more confusing by the minute.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Snow Crash

**Author's Note:**

> First and foremost, this fic is speculative and completely free of spoilers! 
> 
> In a wave of adrenaline and hype, I began writing this back when the trailer revealing Kamui and the basic plot came out, and decided that I should post it before everything I wrote was proven wrong. 
> 
> Some notes to keep in mind, in that regard:  
> ~Japanese names are being used, because they didn't have English names when I started.  
> ~I was initially under the impression that Nohr and Anya, as well as Hoshido and Byakuya, were different places. Thus, the fic operates under the assumption that Anya is the capital of Nohr, and Byakuya of Hoshido.
> 
> Yeah, I think that's everything? I hope you enjoy it!

Unlike his brother Marx, Kamui's maiden battle was not a grand affair. 

Marx had been in a glorious battle when he first stepped on the field, and word of his bravery and splendor had traveled quickly. However, his white-haired brother was a few years his junior, so Kamui had a few more years to be incredibly _not ready_ for his military debut.

Kamui had never been as serious as his brother, and had never excelled at martial arts as effortlessly. Where Marx had an elegant, controlled style to his swordplay and jousting, Kamui was wild. He would jump and weave and dance his way through mock battles, his swings wide and powerful, but completely instinctual and full of openings. No less than four instructors had given up on trying to teach him, and while he would jokingly brag about it to his sister, he would get an earful each time.

No, Kamui was not meant for the calculated warfare that Marx was so at home with, so the other royals and nobles had never expected nearly as much from him.

His first battle was supposed to be a fairly simple one. While both Nohr and Hoshido had been cautious with their movements lately, there had been a conflict in the outer territories. Kamui had been sent with Marx, his brother and lord, to go settle it.

Just a simple border skirmish. Swing your blades a few times, aggravate the enemy, and then spread out and fend them off until one or both sides pull back.

Still, Kamui was nervous. His palms were sweating, and he thanked whatever gods were out there that he was wearing gloves. Otherwise he sincerely doubted he would be able to keep a grip on his sword.

Marx reassured him from atop his mount, leaning down to pat him on the shoulder as soldiers formed ranks behind the two of them.

"You'll be fine. Just stay near me."

His brother’s voice was low and even, and his hand was a welcome weight on Kamui’s shoulder. From that touch, he could feel his nervousness ebb away, just like always. With Marx there, nothing could possibly go wrong.

He steadied his breathing, and looked up at the lord with an unsure smile. He was as ready as he would ever be.

Marx nodded back to him, and turned his attention to the land ahead, sparsely populated by pine trees and evergreens and rampant with snow and fallen branches. He raised his arm and bellowed out a command to his army, who readied their weapons and raised their shields, itching to run.

Down came the hand, and the lot of them broke into a sprint as they started down the hill after their mounted leader. Kamui sprang after them, keeping up with his brother's horse for as long as he could before falling behind, shouting a wordless taunt to trick himself into forgetting his fear.

From in the trees, hidden Hoshido soldiers leapt out, yelling calls of their own as they jumped at Marx's forces, countering Nohr's mounted units and magic with archers and myrmidons. For a moment, Kamui found himself breathless, as his mind caught sight of the enemy warriors. Everything screamed for him to stop, for his feet to plant themselves where they were and go no further, but the sound of his fellow soldiers yelling and cheering, and the rush of adrenaline he felt from being in their midst, smothered the urge to flee and willed him forward into the fray.

In the clash of bodies and snow, Kamui soon lost track of his brother as he was forced to the side, dancing out of the way of arrows and horses. His instincts led him further and further from the central clash, as he weaved in and out of the trees, away from the main forces.

An enemy myrmidon caught sight of him, swerving to the side as they changed their course to meet him. As much as these kinds of swordsmen were supposed to be light on their feet, the crunching of snow under their boots gave them away, and Kamui dodged behind a tree as the soldier swung, their sword lodging into the tree from the force of the miss. Instead of struggling with it, they pulled out a second sword from their belt, and pursued the Nohrian prince as he bounded out of reach.

The myrmidon was faster, though, and more used to the area, so they cut off his escape route. They swung with their new sword, a shorter one than before, and Kamui was able to sidestep it.  He spun on his heel as he brought his own sword around and swept it up in a very unrefined manner, nearly losing his grip.

The myrmidon managed to avoid the clumsy stroke, but was not so lucky when the prince brought his sword back down and caught the blade on their shoulder. They screamed as the sword cut a deep gash on their dominant side. They tried to lunge at Kamui again, but he ducked under the blow on instinct and pure adrenaline before plunging his blade into the soldier's stomach.

He felt the myrmidon lurch and shudder, their lifeblood leaking out of them. He nearly lost his footing as the warrior, unable to hold their own weight any longer, lost consciousness.

Kamui stumbled as the body fell further on his sword, grunting as he struggled to free his sword from flesh.

Fighting in a war, he decided, was scary.

His head was pounding and his heart felt like it would burst from his chest. As the adrenaline slowly ebbed away, the fact that he had just killed someone took it's place in his mind, and he panicked.

Thankfully, they had fallen face-down in the snow; he might have had a heart attack if he'd had to look at a pair of dead eyes.

_Okay, calm down._

The sounds of fighting were quieting down, so either the armies were moving or they were already pulling back. In either case, he had to go back and find his comrades.

Dragging his sword across the snow with one hand, he started trekking back up the hill, making sure to zigzag through the area so he could duck behind trees if the need arose.

He spotted a Nohr soldier having a stand-off with an archer, and decided to help out. Maybe they could--

Oh, never mind.

The soldier took an arrow to the throat as the archer stabbed them there with a spare arrow, and coughed up blood. Well, that was one way to fight in close range when you were a marksman. 

However, this was a good opportunity.

As the archer attempted to yank their ammunition out of their opponent, Kamui ran for them, leaping to the air and swinging down with all his strength, cutting them down where they stood.

He still didn't like taking lives, but what else was there to do? It was better than getting shot from afar while his back was turned because he let the enemy live.

As he continued, he entered in several skirmishes like that one, and found himself with a couple other Nohrian soldiers who had been struggling until he came along.

"Prince! What are you doing out here?"

The soldiers, a mage and a lance-wielding foot soldier, both stood attention, though he waved them off without a second thought.

"Marx." He panted, hoping that it would be enough. He wasn't sure he had it in him to do much talking.

"Yes, sir. Lord Marx should be further up the hill."

"We shall guide you to him personally, milord."

The two of them broke into a light jog, taking to either side of him protectively. He couldn't say that he minded. His head was still pounding and he didn't want to fight any more than he had to.

Together, the three of them made good progress, killing any Hoshido stragglers they happened upon, with the mage throwing fireballs to confuse the enemies, and creating a diversion so that the foot soldier and Kamui could charge in unexpectedly. 

He made a mental note to get both of their names once the battle was over, and perhaps invite them to the castle as thanks for their bravery and aide. Who knows, maybe he could pull some strings, and have them moved up in rank. Surely they had proven themselves, at least in his eyes.

The mage stopped suddenly, holding out her arm so the other two would stop without giving away their positions with words. She motioned them behind a tree, and the three took cover, as she peaked out from behind a trunk.

"What is it?" Kamui whispered, taking the moment to catch his breath.

"Smoke, from the right side." She motioned for her companions to take a look, pointing out a plume coming from deeper within the trees, far enough away that he couldn't see the source.

What a lousy time for a forest fire. He breathed heavily, and squatted for the moment, resting his head against the hilt of his sword, collecting his thoughts. After a few moments, he stood again, readjusting his grip.

"We break off to the left. On the count of three. Make for the hill, away from the fire."

The two of them nodded.

"Okay. One..." 

Now he was starting to catch the smell of smoke on the wind, even from the distance.

"Two..."

The smoke would be too dangerous, both to breathe and to hinder their vision. There was no way they could go that way, he reassured himself.

"Three!"

They broke into a run, his two allies still at his side though slightly behind him (no one was able to run faster than him at the castle, so there was no surprise there), weapons at the ready.

At first, it seemed the plan was a success. They covered a lot of ground with no interruptions, and he almost didn't notice the arrows whiz past. Almost didn't notice until one of his companions grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to the side as they leapt in front of him.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion for a precious few seconds, as the mage dove in the way of the shots and her back became feathered with arrows that had been meant for him. He caught her, dropping his sword as she collapsed against his chest, still alive but in pain. The soldier stopped his forward march to hustle back to Kamui, wedging himself next to Kamui's back to protect him, as he fell to his knees, still supporting the magician, who fumbled for the spell book she had dropped.

Three archers and a swordsman stepped out in front of the group, forming a semicircle around them. The archers had already nocked their next arrows.

Gripping her book tightly and ignoring the arrows in her back, the mage swung behind her, a trail of fire erupting where her hand had dictated. She pushed off of Kamui and got to her feet quicker than he would have thought possible, and continued her magical assault on one of the archers. Behind him, the foot soldier charged another archer, taking advantage of the chance their companion had given them.

Kamui stumbled to his feet as well, grabbing his sword and running at the third archer, but not getting very far as the swordsman blocked his path with a powerful swing that he only just blocked. He heard grunting and yelling behind him, felt heat upon his back from the flames, but could spare no time to check on his allies as he tried to free his weapon from where it had become interlocked.

Letting up on his sword, he dropped to the ground, and the swordsman lost balance at the abrupt lack of resistance. He kicked the man to the ground and rolled out of the way. Once on his feet, he backed up several paces.

The magician and soldier backed away from their own targets to meet him, their two archers both down. That left one more archer and the swordsman.

His allies were both sporting wounds, and Kamui was starting to doubt their chances.

He charged at the swordsman again, swiping shallowly at their side, and was parried in response. The swordsman kicked him hard in the side as he stumbled, payback for earlier. Before they could attack with their weapon, the soldier ran up to support him, swinging his spear at his foe as if it were a club.

His reward, aside from momentarily giving Kamui some breathing room, was an arrow in his gut.

As he faltered, the prince rose, slashing the warrior across the chest with enough force to ensure that they wouldn't be getting up. He glimpsed the magician running ahead, more heavily injured than before and limping, and saw her readying a spell as the last archer drew his bow, the two releasing their shots at nearly the same time. While she had been aiming for the marksman, however, he had been aiming for Kamui.

The shot whistled as it crossed the distance, and the force of the impact reverberated throughout his entire body. His ears rang, pain blossomed in his skull, and then everything went black.

 

\--

 

By the time he came to, the sky was tinged with orange, and the crickets had already started their nightly routine.

He groaned, and brought a hand up to nurse a sore spot on his forehead, as he opened his eyes blearily.

With a start, he realized that something heavy had made it's home on top of him, and a moment of panic overwhelmed him as he wriggled his way out from under it.

Them.

Whatever.

It concerned him how little he was bothered to find himself under two corpses -- one being his foot soldier ally, and the other the Hoshido swordsman. Bleakly, he tried to recall how exactly he'd ended up in such a situation, and remembered that archer taking a shot at him. He'd somehow managed to block with the sword (probably luck; he'd been holding it at the ready), but the force had still caused him to hit his head with the flat of his blade.

That explained the headache, too.

_Could be worse._

Nearby, he spotted the crispy corpse of that archer, as well as the body of the fallen magician.

Breathing out slowly, he had a moment of silence for his two comrades, who were now dead on his account. He hadn't even gotten their names. He frisked their bodies quickly and respectfully for any proof of identity, but found none. He wondered if it would be in poor taste to give them names himself, so that they might be honored somewhere for their bravery, but decided with a sigh that, yes, that was a stupid idea.

The world was quiet around him, with only the sound of crickets and the occasional hooting of an owl to break the silence. The armies must have pulled out while he'd been unconscious.

He dug his sword out from under the bodies, cursing as he poked himself with an arrow tip lodged in one of the corpses while he struggled for the handle. Swinging it once to get the bulk of the blood off of it, he began walking off towards the hill he and the others had been struggling for earlier, dragging the sword behind him through the snow and slush.

The area had been completely abandoned, as far as he could see. Even upon gaining some high ground, there wasn't a soul around.

"Brother?!" he called, continuing to wander, hoping that someone had come back for him.

" _Marx!_ "

Really, he could have used his brother's calming presence about now. Marx always knew what to do. He was always so serious, nothing ever got the best of him.

_Except dirt._

Grimacing, Kamui headed back down the hill, to where more bodies were strewn about. Maybe someone was looking for him there. Surely someone was looking for him _somewhere_ , at least.

He called for his brother again, but still heard no response. He was quickly losing heart in his search, though he supposed he could always trek back to Anya on his own. It wasn't a trip he particularly wanted to make alone, but...

A faint crunching sound from somewhere behind him distracted him from his thoughts, and he spun on his heel in the direction of the noise, twirling his sword once before grabbing the hilt firmly with both hands. 

He crept closer to the source of the noise, much quieter than his guest had managed. His heart pounded as he snuck closer, into a small break in the trees and brush.

There, mere feet ahead of him, was a girl. She had salmon-colored hair pulled back by a gold-trimmed headband, and wore ornate robes dyed the iconic white and red of Hoshido.

_An enemy._

He froze.

The girl was kneeling over some dead bodies (her fallen comrades?) with a staff in hand, inspecting them for any signs of life. A cleric, then, he assumed.

She caught his gaze and sprung back to her feet with a light yelp, trembling.

What could he do? Kill a cleric? She may have been from Hoshido, but... he couldn't attack a defenseless person, could he? He looked down at his sword, still clutching it tightly and wielding it like a claymore, and then back at her. 

He didn't have much time to think it over, though, as an armored swordsman barreled towards them at breakneck speed. 

"Sakura! What's wrong -- are you okay?!"

He grabbed the girl by the shoulders, inspecting her for injuries and fussing over her capelet before noticing Kamui, and wedging himself adamantly between the two of them. He spent a good few moments looking over Kamui, eyes narrowed and bared teeth, before he spoke up again.

"You're not one of ours... Who are you?!" He spat out, hand reaching for a thin blade secured at his hip.

Kamui didn't wear the usual colors of Nohr, so the man's reaction seemed fair. But that was the least of his concerns.

He was staring down a Hoshido warrior who, judging from the armor and the way he held himself, was no pushover. A general, perhaps? And with a cleric to back him up...

He stared wide-eyed at the two Hoshido natives, every fiber of his being telling him to get out of there, but his legs refused to move.

At least, until the man drew his sword and took a step forward, repeating his question. His voice was harsh and every word sounded like a death threat.

Kamui bolted the instant the swordsman moved, dropping his weapon and running in the exact opposite direction as fast and far as his feet could carry him. Which wasn't very far. The man had caught hold of his cape within just a few steps, and yanked on it with enough force to pull Kamui back and off of his feet.

His heart was pounding in his ears so loudly that he couldn't even hear himself think, and his breath came out unevenly, more of a wheeze than anything. The man was on top of him in seconds with a sword to his throat.

"You were the one calling for Marx, huh? From Nohr, I take it?" The man snarled, leaning down closer, causing Kamui to wince. "You were yelling for him pretty informally. Who are you, rich boy? A friend? A relative?"

Whatever fear he had felt in the battle was nothing compared to the absolute terror he felt in the presence of this man.

"B-bro-brother..." He managed to stammer, much to his own surprise. He could feel the cold metal at his neck when he spoke, though it still hadn't broken skin. The anxiety and stress of the situation made him feel like a thousand needles were piercing his throat and eyes, where hot tears had begun to form behind closed eyelids.

"You don't look much like him." He wasn't happy with the response. Oh gods, he wasn't happy and now he was going to slaughter him barbarically. "Who are you." It wasn't even a question anymore, as the man enunciated each word with a sharp edge. 

"Ka-Kamui..."

Somehow, he managed to stutter out his name, though he was already sure it wouldn't help any and that he'd soon lose his head. It didn't stop him from pleading through sobs for the man to let him go, half-formed words and thoughts tumbling from his mouth before his brain could put them into coherent sentences.

However, when the man didn't reply (and didn't murder him), Kamui opened his eyes experimentally, and was surprised to find his attacker looking more shocked than angry.

At his side, the girl fidgeted, pacing back and forth without turning away from the scene.

"Br-brother, stop! He's scared...!"

The man, her brother, seemed to contemplate this, before sheathing his sword, and slowly rising off the ground and, more importantly, off of him. Still choking back sobs, Kamui eyed them cautiously, beginning to sit up a bit as the brother furrowed his brow.

"Sakura..." The man made some sort of sign at her with his hands, one that Kamui couldn't quite catch at that angle but made him nervous none-the-less.

Before he could turn his attention to the girl completely, he saw her move out of the corner of his eye, and caught her staff with the back of his head. There was a crack, and he fell to the ground.

"Brother... Why... Why did I just hit him?" She looked up at him with wide-eyes, and then back at the now unconscious Nohr prince at her feet.

"Not now. I have to think, and I didn't want him running off." He leaned over, grabbing Kamui by the arms and hefting him over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. "Grab his sword, we're taking him back with us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thank you to inverts and zopocalypse for proof-reading and stuff! Writing is not something I do normally, so I really appreciate them helping me out with this.
> 
> (Baby's first fic, haha.)


	2. The Great Escape

Kamui woke slowly, his eyes adjusting poorly to the bright light of wherever he was, blearily blinking his eyes a few times to try and rid himself of the stabbing pain in his head. He found his mind working at half-speed, as he made note of the wooden ceiling above him and how unfamiliar it looked. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten here, or, even, where "here" was, but the part of his mind that would have been normally setting off sirens in his consciousness wasn't awake yet, so instead, he lay there, thinking.

Mentally, he started going through what he did and did not have. Noting the warm fabric around his body, he concluded that he still had his clothes, though they were soft and looser, so he couldn't account for his armor. It must have been taken off by someone. He was dimly aware of the absence of his sword, as well, but hadn't the energy to move his head at all to see if it was around, nor to sit up. Next, he wiggled his toes experimentally, concluding that he could feel them and so must still have his legs and feet, which was a good thing. His fingers wiggled as well, so his hands had to still be attached, though he couldn't account for what he felt around his wrists at first.

It took him an embarrassingly long amount of time to make the connection that his wrists were bound in front of him, for which he mentally cursed himself.

It was about then that the sirens started going off in his head.

_ Okay, okay. Calm down. _

He willed his breathing to slow, and shut his eyes again tightly, trying to remember what had happened. Dimly, he recalled losing Marx in the chaos of the battle and fighting alongside his two companions a short while, as well as finding those Hoshido warriors.

Well, one of them was a warrior. The other had been just a child, probably not much older than his own sister.

_ She was the one who hit me, though _ , he recalled, taking note of the second bump on his head from which this headache seemed to be stemming. The other bump, from his own ineptitude in battle, was all but forgotten in light of the new one on the back of his head.

So he was in Hoshido, he reasoned. Still alive, through whatever divine favor had graced him, but for how long was questionable. Whatever, he wouldn't give them what they wanted. No matter what kind of cruel prison torture they used--

He sat up with a start, gasping as he opened his eyes, and feverishly looking at his encasement.

This was no prison, or none he'd seen the like of back at home. There were no bars, bugs, or dirt, and it smelled like a field. Instead of dark, stone walls, like the ones he'd seen back home, the walls were made of some kind of delicate paper, through which the sun was streaming with a mild glow. He was on no straw pile or cold floor, but on a pile of soft fabric--silk, perhaps? It felt smooth and gentle on his calloused feet. There was enough fabric spread out under him that, if he hadn’t known better, he might have thought it was quickly thrown together to act in place of a mattress. Disorganized and confusing to him--why would they even bother?--but comfortable. The floor seemed to be some kind of mat made of straw, woven to be both strong and sleek. There even seemed to be modest accommodations in the room. He saw a heavy urn with flowers in it, as well as a very low table of some sort, surrounded by flat pillows. Or, were those supposed to be chairs?

No sign of his armor or sword, though, which meant they had been taken from him.  _ Or stolen, _ he mused bitterly.

He'd briefly considered using the flower pot as a weapon, but after fumbling with it for precious minutes, decided that he didn't have the mobile prowess to wield it with his hands tied together like they were. He'd have to find his sword, or something equally sharp, and cut his bonds so he could come back for it.

Er... He wouldn't need the pot at that point, though. So maybe just skip the coming back part, actually.

He exhaled deeply, mind made up. He would find his sword, and cut his way out of here and back to Nohr if he had to. There didn't seem to be anyone nearby, as he could hear neither voices nor the shuffle of feet, so he made his way to the darker part of the room. He could hear birds from the lighter side, which meant it probably lead outside. While out was his ultimate destination, he doubted that his belongings would have just been thrown out into the snow, so further inside was the only option. Getting around without being spotted would probably be better if he weren’t out in the open, as well.

Kamui gently pulled at one of the screen walls, sliding it stiffly out of its position until there was a gap large enough for him to fit through. Beyond his makeshift door, there seemed to be a long, wooden hallway, with other rooms off to the sides, partitioned off by more of those paper walls. There didn't seem to be a single solid wall or door in the place! And why was the entire building made of such flammable material? He could never imagine just what kind of backwards and laid-back person had designed such a defenseless building.

He stepped gingerly out into the hall. The wood squeaked under his weight as he walked on it, and put him on edge. Honestly, if the Hoshido scum didn't kill him first, he half expected the stress from trying to sneak in this place to give him a heart attack. Well, that was one thing this place had going for it, he supposed. It would be hard to get around without being heard. Still, he couldn't condone its architecture with just one redeeming feature.

_ Quiet, quiet... _

He snuck through the labyrinthine hall as silently as he could manage, but fear of being caught was making his breath heavy and his pace quick. He didn't know why they'd brought him here instead of killing him, or why they'd left him unguarded, but he knew he had precious little time before he was discovered. And maimed, probably. Really, he couldn't imagine a situation in which he didn't get brutalized and killed. He had to get back to Marx before that happened.

As he neared the end of the hall, Kamui began to hear voices. Muffled, yes, and their owners still out of sight, but he could tell they were getting closer. His breath hitched as he glanced around madly, eyes falling on one of the paper panels that seemed slightly ajar. He dove for it, wrestling it open as his hands shook in panic, before slipping in and closing it, taking a few steps away from the wall and forcing himself to calm down so the intruders (or, he was the intruder, wasn't he...) wouldn't hear him as they passed.

"You..."

He  whipped his head around so quickly he thought that it might fly off, and noticed a girl in the room with him. A different girl than before, a few years older with fiery hair and flashing red eyes. She was lightly armored, and wearing the usual red and white of the Hoshido army. More importantly, she was armed, as a thin lance lay to her side. In an instant, noting his wide eyes, bound hands, and dark clothing, she had deemed him an enemy, and grabbed her lance, just barely giving him enough time for his instincts to kick in as she lunged at him with it, impaling a wooden cabinet behind him and grunting with rage as he danced out of the way.

Wait, sharp object. He could use that.

She pulled it from the furniture hastily, paying no mind to various boxes and wood chunks as they clattered to the ground, and swung at him again. This time, though, he was ready for it, and ducked under it gracefully, waiting for it to pierce through the paper screen before kicking the staff from her grasp and back from where it had gone through the wall. He knelt and nicked the rope around his wrists against the blade of the weapon, not having the luxury of sawing through it, as she was on him again, grasping for her lance and swinging it upwards, managing to slice through a bit of his shirt in the process. The weapon had done the trick, though, and with a little force, he was out of his bonds and sprinting down the hall, having knocked down the torn wall.

No longer concerned with being caught (a little too late for that now!), he sprang across the wooden floors, feet pounding on the surface as the boards creaked under him. The girl was still hot on his trail, though she seemed to be having some trouble maneuvering her weapon through the narrow corridors. She was shouting at him as well, though he was too preoccupied to take heed of what she was saying. 

The commotion they were making seemed to be drawing a crowd, as he was having to dodge around various others who emerged from other rooms or hurried down from other halls to see what was the matter. He found himself unconsciously muttering apologies to the servants--they must have been servants, dressed so plainly and carrying trays of, he couldn't be sure, food or something?--as he weaved through and bumped a few of them. 

This wasn't working, he had to get to a higher ground. He'd never get out of here if he just kept running straight through with no direction. Weapon and armor be damned, he had to get away from this madwoman and whatever other warriors she was no-doubt calling in after him, and quick!

Taking a sharp turn, he charged his way through a few of the panels, hobbling as he knocked them from their frames.

There, outside! There was an open panel, and he could seen the white of snow from the other side.

Dimly, he was aware of the sound of more footsteps, and what could only be more soldiers coming to get him, but freedom was in sight now. There was a tree right there that he could escape up--he'd always been good at climbing--and from there head on to the--

All thought escaped him as someone blocked his path. He had been going too quickly, and his mind was still too addled to process this new obstacle, so he found himself hurtling right into the stranger before him, as the two of them became a tangle of limbs and shouting on the snow and grass in the courtyard.

Not giving himself a moment to even breathe, Kamui was back up, and stumbling for the tree before he had even regained his balance. The abrupt movement combined with the whiplash of the impact made him feel woozy, but he was so close...

He reached out his arm for one of the lower branches, but as soon as he jumped for it, he felt something grab his foot and yank him down to the ground. A sharp pain ran up his spine on impact, and he felt what little breath he had escape his lungs. He groaned and wheezed, unable to regain a full breath of air as he was thrown into a panic. 

This was it, this was the end. He'd been caught and now he was going to be killed. He was lying on the ground on his back, defenseless, and now he was going to die. Oh, he couldn't even watch. He didn't want to see the face of his captor, all hideous and boil-y and covered in warts and with sharp teeth and--

"--mui!"

"Kamui!!"

He opened his eyes and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, slowly dropping his hands from over his eyes, which were still wide with panic, to see who had called his name. No, who had  _ known _ his name.

He was met with dark eyes and messy brown hair, and the serious face of a man a few years his senior leaning over him. It took a few moments, but he remembered this man from before, even without all his armor on. Vaguely, he remembered giving this man his name, so there was that mystery solved.

Glancing around, he could see the salmon-color haired girl nearby, as well as the red-haired one and a bunch of others, some armed and some probably just onlookers. Most of them just looked confused, but he couldn't deny the aggression in many of their faces.

The redhead girl stepped forward, lance at the ready, but the man held up his hand, motioning her to keep at bay.

"M-my lord!"

"Hinoka, peace. Give us some room."

She took a few paces back, as did the other soldiers, leaving Kamui with a little more breathing room. Aside from the larger man still leaning over him, holding a hand on Kamui's stomach to keep him on the ground, of course.

Still, it had been several moments, and he still wasn't lying there gutted like a fish, so maybe this was going to go better than he thought it would.

Several more moments passed, and Kamui could feel his heart rate slowing to something at least resembling normal. No one had made a move since the spiky-haired man had waved them back, but the silence was starting to make him nervous.

"W-wh-why haven't you just killed me already?!" He managed to stutter out, finally. He didn't like not knowing what their intentions were.

"Kamui, calm down." The man spoke in a soft tone that would have maybe been soothing coming from someone else, but the casual use of his name, as if the two were  _ friendly _ or something, just made Kamui more upset.

"Li-like hell I will! You Hoshido--I've seen you on the battlefield! Why don't you just kill me already!"

He was shaking now. In spite of his yelling, he really didn't have any desire to die, and definitely not here or now. But with his sword gone, he didn't think he had it in him to wrestle the larger man off of him and make for the tree before the soldiers caught up with him.

In fact, he knew he couldn't do it, as his body made it very clear that it didn't have the energy by rumbling with hunger loudly. He hadn't noticed before how much he'd been desiring something to eat. When was the last time he'd eaten? How long had he been out? Was his family looking for him, or had they given up and accepted him as dead?

Knowing it wasn't the time for these kinds of thoughts didn't help him suppress a small sob, though, and he covered his eyes with his hands to try and hide how misty they were getting, cursing under his breath and swallowing down whatever whimpers were trying to claw their way to the surface.

He heard a light chuckle in response, and felt his blood boil with embarrassment and fury. This Hoshido man was laughing at him!

And yet, he couldn't even manage to yell at him in response, nor remove his hands, as tears threatened to spill out of his eyes and sobs jammed up his throat.

He felt a weight lift off of his stomach as the man stood up.

"All right, everyone, go back to what you were doing. There's nothing to see here."

He ushered them along with a wave of his hands, and Kamui could hear murmuring and shuffling as many of the onlookers, still confused and ready to gossip, turned and left.

"Bu-But my lord brother! That man--the way he's talking, he's from Nohr isn't he? Why--"

"No, he's not. He's from Hoshido."

What...?

Kamui gulped down a lump that had formed in his throat, and froze.

"What are you..." The red-haired girl voiced his same concerns, frozen in shock just as he was.

"Later." The man instructed forcefully but kindly. He turned back to Kamui, still lying on the ground, but now beginning to peek out from behind his hands, water rolling in his eyes and face red. "Sorry, I didn't mean to have such a ruckus when you woke up. But I wasn't sure how you'd react, so I had to tie your hands. You understand."

No, I don't.

Is what he wanted to say, but he found himself completely stupefied, as the man knelt down and offered him a hand. He glanced back from the man’s hands to his face, trying to find some hint of malice, or some tell that it was a trick or a trap or... or something. But as the other girl, who he recognized from the battlefield before, trotted into his field of vision, a small, unsure smile gracing her face, he found himself confused to the point of willingly accepting the help, as he was dragged first to an upright position, and then onto his feet.

He hiccuped a little, staring down at his feet awkwardly as he pulled his hand away with more force than he'd meant to use. But the man didn't seem to mind, letting out a small huff to go with a sheepish smile he wasn't sure quite reached the man's eyes.

"Okay, let's at least get you some food. We can talk after." He motioned for Kamui to follow him, and started for the building. "Hinoka, Sakura, feel free to join us."

The red-head, Hinoka, dropped her lance in shock. The other one, Sakura, stepped softly towards Kamui, pulling at his arm to get him to follow the other man. Kamui, dumb-struck and without most of his brain being in working order, allowed himself to be lead back inside and down the hall by the man and girl, leaving Hinoka behind.

 

\--

 

The food had been... an experience. It had been brought to them cold and on trays, set down on a table far closer to the ground than Kamui was used to. The man and his sister had beckoned for him to sit down on the cushions around the table, following their lead, but he just could not seem to get into a comfortable position. The awkward air around the three of them didn't help much, and Kamui spend most of the time staring at his clenched fists and avoiding all eye contact with the other two as they are their food with... sticks? Small sticks? H-how...

It had been a struggle, for sure. And though he avoided their eyes like the plague, he found himself stealing many perturbed glances at their hands, trying to puzzle out where his own fingers should go on these strange tools.

Although his body had been in desperate want of food, he had to wager that he'd lost a few years off his life stressing himself through the experience.

The two of them chortling as he dropped the sticks for the fifth time wasn't making him feel any better about it, either.

After the meal was consumed, the three resumed sitting in silence. He couldn't find any openings to stand and run, though, and his legs were starting to twitch under him, falling asleep as they were unused to the strange position he was in. Finally, and partially just to distract himself, he spoke up.

"What you said, earlier... What did you... mean...?"

"Well, Kamui's not a very Nohr-like name, is it?"

While the man had him there -- next to the names of his siblings, he'd always found his own to be a little strange -- that couldn't have been all of it. He continued to stare at his knees, balling his fists tighter until his knuckles hurt. The man seemed to notice his strain, and heaved a sigh before continuing.

"When I was younger, I had a brother."

Awkward start to an explanation. What did that have to do with...

"My father and younger brother were both present in a battle against Nohr. My father died protecting him, but my brother was never found. We'd assumed he was dead, and that was the end of it. The Nohr army had killed plenty of other defenseless citizens up to that point. He wouldn't have been much more than a toddler at that point anyway, there was no way he could have survived."

Kamui swallowed, his breath hitching a bit as he waited for the rest of the story.

"... But now I understand what happened. That night, he was stolen, and taken to Nohr." The man paused for a few moments.

"I don't know what they did to you there, Kamui, but that doesn't matter any more. You're home now."

He looked up for the first time since they'd entered the room, staring at the man with eyes wide with disbelief. There was no way. There was  _ no way _ .

"... I'm Ryouma. Your older brother.” He put a hand on his chest as he introduced himself, smiling lightly, before gesturing to the girl between them. “This is Sakura, your little sister.” She perked up expectantly as Kamui turned his gaze to her, a slight pink flushing in her cheeks as she gave him a timid smile. “There's also Hinoka and Taku--"

"No!"

Kamui rose to his feet, fists still balled, eyes flashing as he turned his attention back to the man. Sakura visibly flinched at his outburst, suddenly looking extremely crestfallen as she glanced down at her knees. Ryouma’s expression fell as well, his smile dissolving as his lips pressed into a thin line. 

Kamui’s chest clenched at the sight, but he continued his protest. "You're wrong!” This farce couldn’t be allowed to continue. “I'm from Nohr! I have two brothers and two sisters! Marx and Camilla and--"

"Kamui." Ryouma cut in, tone surprisingly even. He held up a hand, gesturing for Kamui to calm down. But the tone rubbed him the wrong way. Ryouma was too calm,  _ too comforting _ . He was the enemy! A Hoshido warrior! This wasn’t happening. It absolutely could not be happening.

"You're  _ wrong! _ ” Kamui shouted venomously. “You're  _ incredibly _ wrong. You've never been so wrong in your entire life! I'm from Nohr, do you hear me!?"

"Do you want to meet your mother?"


	3. The Homecoming

Kamui had never had a mother back in Nohr. She had died in childbirth with his younger sister when he was still too young to remember her. The closest thing he could equate with a mother would have been Camilla, his kind and protective (if not possessive) older sibling. But she was his sister, so it was different.

He still didn't believe Ryouma’s tale, but...

They had decided to lend him clothes while they mended the tear in his shirt, though he outright refused any of their pants or shoes. He didn't much care for their style of shirts, either. They were too loose and baggy, and while the fabric was soft, it didn't feel right, so they had to go through quite an ordeal to find something he would actually wear. When Ryouma teased him about it, both during and after the process, Kamui ignored him.

They finally settled on a two-layer garb of white -- the first layer was basically sleeves that came up past his shoulders and tied together, which he was told was a popular choice among archers for some reason, paired with a high-collared wrap-y shirt overtop. It had  cropped sleeves that stopped around his elbows, with excess fabric that draped down to around his thighs. There was no red trim on the items, either, for which he was thankful. He would wear their clothing since it couldn't be helped, but he wouldn't wear their colors. He still had his pride.

The shirt was still too loose around his waist, though, so Ryouma offered him a silk scarf to wrap around his stomach. It helped, though he struggled with putting it on until the man, laughing at him, helped tie it properly.

They still hadn't returned his armor or sword, which put Kamui on edge, but they had promised to return it along with his shirt when it was repaired. He hated to admit it, but they seemed trustworthy enough for him to take them at their word.

The trip to visit his "mother" would take them out of the mansion and into the city proper, he was told, as she frequented there often.

"I haven't told her about you yet." Ryouma admitted, scratching the back of his head and looking a bit crestfallen. He hadn't let Kamui out of his sight since that skirmish in the courtyard, and so that seemed believable. He'd been told he had only been out for a number of hours -- "enough time for the sun to rise again," they'd said -- and Ryouma appeared to be a busy guy. That such an important person seemed to be prioritizing him over all else still made him nervous, but also added some credit to his tale. Kamui hated to admit  _ that _ , too.

"Are you sure you don't want any sandals?"

The stone was cold beneath his feet, but the sun was warm so most of it was dry in spite of the melting snow and slush in the alleyways and curbs. It felt smooth and well-worn, and he liked feeling the dips and bends in the rock where people had worn away paths over time. So, naturally, he ignored Ryouma, as he had been for the past several hours.

The man let out a sigh as his supposed brother foiled his twenty-second attempt at small-talk, glancing at Kamui who had turned his head away (although only slightly out of spite -- he was also in awe of how different the layout and architecture was from what he was used to), before turning his attention back to the path in front of him.

They were headed to the center of the city, where a fountain made of stone and adorned with the image of a giant dragon served as its focal point. Apparently the queen liked to visit the area, and indeed, there seemed to be a woman sitting on the fountain’s edge.

Seeing Ryouma, the woman gave a small wave. She was tall, with tired eyes and long black hair, and dressed in an ornate white dress. She stood, smoothing out the wrinkles of her gown before making her way to Ryouma, who had waved back and picked up the pace a bit.

Kamui found himself slowing down in response, attempting to stall the meeting and hide behind the bigger man in front of him.

The two met halfway, and she chuckled, murmuring soft greetings to Ryouma as she brushed a strand of hair out of his face. Kamui felt himself shying away again at the sight, an awkward lump rising in his throat that he couldn't quite place. He  _ could  _ run, he mused. The crowd was a little thinner over on the left side; if he could make for that pathway, he could sprint off before anyone had a chance to react, and then be home free...

Fate didn't seem ready to let him get away, though, as a small gasp made him turn his attention back to the two before him. The woman had noticed him, and Ryouma stood back expectantly, eyes lit up and smiling.

_ Run, run, run, you can get away, you can make it, you can do it. _

His brain was screaming at him to flee, and he found himself taking rushed glances around to try and formulate an escape route, but his legs stayed rooted to the spot. The woman, meanwhile, lifted the bottom of her dress lightly so as not to impede her movement, and trotted over to Kamui, stopping a foot or so in front of him.

Her look of shock melted as she let out a small laugh, tears swimming in her eyes as she hesitantly held out a hand.

"Thank goodness..."

He took a half step back.

"Do you... know who I am...?" He questioned sheepishly, glancing behind himself to make sure his escape route was still open.

"Of course."

She closed the distance between them, gingerly stroking the side of his face. She was taller than he was, though shorter than Ryouma, he noticed.

"Of course I know you... How could I forget?" She brushed his hair away from his face, tears now streaming down her face, before embracing him tightly. "Kamui... My Kamui..."

It could be a trick, he reasoned. An act to make him feel unsure of himself. Ryouma had said he hadn't told her, but he could have lied. She could have been told to act this way, she could have practiced and practiced.

And yet, he couldn't stop himself from bringing his arms up and around her waist in a gentle hug. And he couldn't stop himself from nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck as she pet his hair and cooed quietly in his ear. He couldn't stop himself from feeling that, somehow, this was right.

 

\--

 

The "family" had regrouped in a sitting room of sorts, after Kamui spent an embarrassing amount of time in the middle of a crowded walkway in the embrace of an older woman -- an older woman who was  _ royalty,  _ he reminded himself. The move had been for everyone's benefit, and his theoretical sister Sakura had been able to join them upon their return as well, though his other theoretical siblings -- Hinoka and Takumi were their names, according to Ryouma -- wouldn't be joining them.

The four of them now sat in relative silence, with Ryouma and Kamui situated on opposite sides of another of those low tables, Sakura at another side of the table, and their mother sitting uncomfortably close to him, petting his hair and fussing with his borrowed clothing, cooing things that he wasn't particularly listening to.

"It must have been so terrible."

"It must have been so hard on you."

"It must have been awful."

The sweet nothings his "mother" was whispering to him gnawed at his mind. It  _ hadn't _ been terrible or awful or hard on him. Sure, learning sword fighting and court politics had been a challenge, but it wasn’t torturous or unfair. What  _ was _ hard on him was learning now about his supposed origins. His other "family." Being Nohr royalty had been a walk in the park compared to this mess.

Finally, after hearing a similar phrase one too many times, he snapped.

"Look, you've got it wrong." He cut in, blocking the queen’s hand as she made to stroke his hair again.

His words were like a knife, sharper than he had perhaps intended, but it was too late to take back. He had their attention now, with his mother looking at him with an absolutely shocked expression, and his sister wearing a similarly worried one. Ryouma looked concerned, but he seemed to sympathize at least a little.

"I didn't have a terrible time in Nohr." He enunciated each word as clearly as he could, scowling. "I know this is hard for you to hear, but I had a life over there. A family. I have two elder siblings and two younger ones and a -- " he struggled on the last member of his family, imagining the cold, scowling face of King Garan. "-- father."

Thinking about it now, his king had been more of a constant figurehead in his life than any sort of parental unit. He and his siblings had more or less raised each other, rather than the king himself. Still, he was their father, even if now Kamui wished that King Garan had been kind and affectionate like Queen Mikoto seemed to be. He cleared his throat before continuing.

"And they're probably all worried about me, if they don't think I'm dead already." He finished with a huff, crossing his arms. This trip to Hoshido had been...  _ interesting _ , he supposed was the word to describe it, but thinking about his family now made him suddenly miss them.

The longing must have shown in his face, as he felt a tug on his clothing direct his attention to the mournful face of Sakura.

"Don't go… Please, don't leave us..." She whispered so softly he almost doubted he heard it.

His mother had a similar expression, though she said nothing.

For what felt like several minutes, no one moved, unsure of how to break the heavy atmosphere that had settled between the four of them.

"You..." Ryouma broke the silence, hesitantly, struggling with his words. "I mean, for a little while... the Nohr army seems to have pulled away, and we're not planning on making any movement for a little while yet. You could stay. Er, for... for a little while, anyway."

He coughed, and avoided Kamui's eyes. At his side, Sakura perked up, looking hopeful but hesitant as she tried to judge his expression.

Well...

Maybe just a couple more days would be okay…

 

\--

 

Sakura had been quick to pull Kamui away from her older brother and mother, surprisingly enough. She began leading him down the halls on a rushed tour, pointing out rooms but not actually letting him go into them. Honestly, he could hardly keep up with her explanations anyway. In spite of her excitement, she was still a very quiet girl, and the revelation of having an additional family member seemed to be making her stumble through words even more than she had been before.

As they passed servants and doorways (could they still be called doorways? He wasn’t quite sure), Kamui began to wonder how quickly news of his being there would spread. He hoped it would be slow. Having this many people suddenly fawn over him was beginning to get to him.

Lost in his thoughts as he was, Kamui nearly ran Sakura over when she stopped walking without warning. He mumbled an apology in concert with her stuttering her own, before being interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Very loudly.

His attention was drawn to a young man (boy? He was rather small) standing a few feet off, glaring in their direction with his hands on his hips. He had pale hair, pulled back in a long ponytail, and wore some sort of animal hide wrapped around his waist, as well as a bow strapped to his back.

“Brother Takumi!” Sakura greeted, giving him a quick bow and smiling. “I was hoping we would find you. How was your excursion?” Kamui found himself tensing at the word “brother.” He gave the young man- _ Takumi _ -a second and more thorough look.

Sour expression aside, there was  _ something _ about him. It took a few moments to realize, but, of the “family” members he’d met thus far, he probably resembled Takumi the most. In hair color, if nothing else. If  _ Takumi  _ had been the one to suggest that Kamui had family in Hoshido, he… well, he still would have denied it, but it would have been a little more believable.

The archer scoffed. “Who’s this?” He crossed his arms, shifting his weight from one foot to the next impatiently. Sakura flinched a bit at his harsh tone.

“This is our dear elder brother, Kamui.” She introduced timidly, though still smiling. Takumi’s brow twitched in response. Kamui wasn’t sure she had noticed, though, as she continued. “Dear brother Ryouma and I happened upon him. He has been in Nohr these long years.” She turned back to Kamui, holding out a hand in Takumi’s direction. “Brother Kamui, this is my elder-and your younger-brother, Takumi.”

“Ha!” Takumi barked, eyes narrowing. “Brother? As  _ if. _ All I see is  _ Nohrian scum. _ ” He growled, teeth bared, as he took a few steps closer to Kamui. “Walking about as if you own the place. Who do you think you are?!” He jabbed his finger at Kamui’s chest  _ hard _ . Surprisingly so. Sakura held her hands up in protest, trying to calm him down, but he acted as if she didn’t even exist.

Kamui was at a loss for words. But that was fine, as Takumi seemed to have an excess, as he began shouting again. “Don’t get too comfortable here,  _ trash. _ The instant you do anything suspicious, I’ll have a hole in your chest!” With that final threat, he turned to leave, stomping  few steps before turning for one final remark. “And stay away from my sister!”

With that, he left, feet pounding loudly on the floor. Sakura glanced between Kamui and Takumi, before giving him a slight bow and padding off after Takumi.

His heart was racing. That kid was small, but scary. Kamui had to take several deep breaths after the two others were out of sight to calm himself down. That certainly could have gone better.

Something about how Takumi had blown up at him, though… Rather than fawning over him like the rest of his so-called family, his insults and disdain had been oddly refreshing. Kamui couldn’t help but smile, once he found the strength to do so.

 

\--

 

"Hey, you."

He recognized that voice as the red-haired girl from earlier --  _ Hinoka _ , his mind provided. His  _ sister _ \-- but didn't feel particularly inclined to respond.

After the awkward reunion with his "mother" and leaving his “younger siblings,” he'd been allowed to explore the building he was in freely. It was something of a mansion, apparently, and was the same one he had found himself in hours earlier. It was also less confusing than Sakura’s attempt at showing him. That and his jaunt through the halls had given him a passing familiarity, so he'd found his way to the courtyard he'd attempted to escape into earlier with relative ease.

There was something to be said about the familiarity of it, even if it was only because he had been there once before. Compared to the rest of the castle, even having seen it just the one time before made him feel a little more secure about his surroundings.

He might also have been a little upset. Too many people he was supposed to know, and too heavy an atmosphere with all of them. But no one else needed to know that.  _ How did they talk me into staying? _ It had been the look on Sakura’s face, hadn’t it? For a moment, he’d mistaken her for Elise, and--

"You--"

Kamui let out an audible 'tch' in response. She knew what his name was, he was sure of that. If she wanted to talk, she could do it properly.

"Ka... mui."

The forceful tone in her voice dropped. She actually sounded timid instead of angry, for a change. He reluctantly turned his head towards her, resting his chin on his hand, attempting to come off as aloof as possible. That plan fell through once he saw just how lost and lonely she looked.

"Look, I, uh." She began, scowling more at herself than him, as she tried to cut through all the awkward that had formed between them. "For earlier. I'm sorry." She bowed formally, lowering her head so he could hardly see her face. Kamui swallowed a lump in his throat, but said nothing, turning his head back towards the tree a short sprint away.

This not being the reaction she'd hoped for, she stood back up and stomped towards him so heavily he could feel the wooden floor below them shake. She stopped immediately behind him, staring down as he continued to sit, sweating bullets and trying  _ really _ hard to not curl himself into a ball under her gaze.

"Kamui!"

He flinched and immediately regretted it. It definitely didn't go unnoticed.

"Stand up," she instructed, leaving no room for negotiation. Gulping, he did as he was told, placing his feet on the ground of the courtyard that they had been hanging over, and pulling himself up to his full height, turning around to look her in the eyes nervously.

With the few inches of height she gained for being on the wooden walkway, they were about the same height. She felt so much bigger, though. He grimaced, withering under her glare. Even without a weapon, he was afraid she would devour him. Or something. She was almost as intimidating as Ryouma.

"You... really are Kamui, right?"

"That's what they tell me." His reply came out more flippant than he intended, earning him a scowl in return.

She grabbed him by the shirt, taking him completely by surprise, to the point he nearly leapt from the clothing in shock, before pulling him in close, inspecting him.

For several moments, neither of them spoke.

"You're not him. Not really..." She sighed, resting her forehead on his chest, still clutching his shirt in some sort of titanic death grip. He was about to pull away and make some crude remark in return, but a small sniveling sound made him rethink his actions.

Hinoka trembled, trying to stifle tears and sobs.

"I waited... I waited so long, hoping you would come back, somehow..." Her voice wavered, and Kamui could tell that she wasn't really talking to him. She was talking to the brother she had lost nearly twenty years prior, the Kamui who had been from Hoshido. The Kamui he might have been at one point, but he certainly wasn't any longer.

"You're not him, but... C-can you just pretend?” She hiccuped, shaking her head and burying her face even further in his chest. “Just for a little..." He could feel wet spots beginning to form on the fabric, which made him terribly uncomfortable. Shifting his weight cautiously, he scratched at his leggings awkwardly while keeping his arms at his sides, before finally relenting.

Wrapping his arms around her, he decided he could be the Kamui she knew. At least for a few minutes.

 

\--

 

Takumi was very different from Hinoka.

Takumi was blunt and cold, and reminded Kamui of a feisty little squirrel or something. He was a small, scowling mess of a young man, who seemed more eager to shoot him than make conversation with him.

It reminded him a lot of the japing, sarcastic humor of his family back home. And, after his tearful meeting with Hinoka, he kind of needed that. More importantly, he knew what to expect this time. The archer wouldn’t scare him a second time.

And so, he went seeking him out and actually attempting to engage him in conversation. He found the archer sharpening some arrows on a small grind stone, and sat beside him.

"Look, you! I don't trust you, okay?!" Takumi roared (well, squeaked), threatening him with an arrow he was coming alarmingly close to stabbing his older brother with, while giving him an equally pointed glare.

"As you've said."

"Right! So why on earth are you sticking around me?" He demanded, waggling the arrow dangerously close to Kamui, who held up his hands in mock-defense, grinning. He hummed noncommittally in response, earning an even deeper frown from the archer.

"You remind me of my brother." He finally provided.

"What--Ryouma?"

"No, no. One of... er... my other ones..." Or a mix of both, maybe. His aggressive attitude reminded him of Leon’s competitive nature, but he’d never been  _ scared _ of Leon.

Takumi had been briefed on the situation by Ryouma and Sakura after meeting Kamui the first time, but he'd gotten the very brief version of it, and it took him a few moments to make the connection. Which meant that he was graced with about five whole seconds of having a thoughtful expression instead of an angry one. Once he got it, though, he scowled again.

"I don't want to be compared to anyone from Nohr." He replied bitterly, gathering his arrows and stowing the grindstone somewhere in the depths of his shirt. He stood without another word, and began to walk off in an attempt to ditch the other.

Yeah, Kamui liked this sibling of his.

Liked giving him a hard time, anyway.

He repressed an evil chuckle as he wandered off after his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha, I was hoping to have everything posted before the game came out, but... Obviously that didn't happen! Because MAGfest happened instead. Among other things.


	4. Water Margin

Some time passed before Kamui began to tire of his adventures around the mansion, and his thoughts began to turn from exploring just this one building to finding a way to sneak out and explore the rest of the capital. Once he returned to his Nohr family, he'd never have the opportunity to again. Not until they'd conquered all of Hoshido.

Conquered Hoshido...

Suddenly, he realized that that didn't sit well with him anymore.

This had been a mistake.

He should have stayed with Marx. He should never have gone off on his own on the battlefield. Then he never would have found Sakura and Ryouma and been brought to Hoshido, and he'd never have learned that he was from there. And he'd never learned that he had Hoshido family.

And he'd never feel bad about the war.

Kamui had never really cared for the idea of war before, either, but now he could safely say he was against it.

_ This war is a mistake. _

He could no longer sit comfortably on one side. He had connections to both. Could he forsake his father who he had known his whole life in favor of his mother he had just met? Could he turn on his siblings he was bound to by blood in favor of his siblings he shared no relation to?

A wave of nausea came over him, and he covered his mouth with his hands, sinking down to his knees in a fit of gagging and sobbing.

He felt sick.

He felt  _ so sick. _

What was he supposed to do now? How could he pick either side? Why did he have to be stuck in the middle like this?  _ Why did this happen? _

He let a gross wail escape him as he huddled in on himself, feeling like he could vomit at any moment, completely absorbed in his own thoughts. Rocking back and forth on his heels, still crouching in nearly a fetal position, he sobbed several more times, unaware of the presence of another until a light tap on his shoulder made him swallow hard, and swallow a lot of spit down the wrong pipe by accident.

He coughed madly, hands now on the ground to help support him in his fit, as tears pricked the edges of his now watering eyes. As he wrestled his breathing back to normal and calmed down, he became aware of a gentle rubbing on his back, and wiped his eyes so he'd be able to see who was disturbing him.

"Are you okay now?" A soft voice asked from off to his side.

His red eyes met the golden ones of a young woman kneeling beside him, still patting him gently. She was adorned in white and gold, in a dress that clung to her small frame around her torso, and then fanned out into a sea of drapery and silk after it left her waist. Her long, blue hair fell down past the length of her back, touching the ground gently in her currently position. 

He could only manage a strangled, "Mmhm," in response, accompanied by a slight nod.

"Good." She smiled at him before standing, offering him a hand. He took it, and she helped him back to his feet in one graceful movement.

She looked something like a dancer, if he had to judge from her attire. It seemed designed to swish elegantly at her every move. Something about how she held herself, though, made him unsure.

"U-um..." He began ever-so-eloquently, staring at his feet and shifting awkwardly.  _ Oh, she's not wearing shoes either, _ he noted dully somewhere in the back of his mind. "Wh-who...?"

She chuckled.

"You have a way with words." He felt his face flush at her comment. "I'm Aqua. I, ah... I live here with the royal family."

There was a story hidden somewhere in what she left unsaid, but he couldn't parse it.

"I'm Kamui. I'm, uhh..." He hesitated for a few moments, wondering what to say and how to explain himself. He finally settled on just telling her what he'd come to accept as truth. "I'm from Nohr. I mean -- I'm from Hoshido, I'm Ryouma's... I grew up in Nohr."

Well, not as straight-forward as he'd hoped he'd be able to manage, that's for sure. Clearing his throat, he tried again.

"What I mean is, I was born in Hoshido. Ryouma's my brother. I was... I was raised in Nohr. As royalty. I mean."

He scratched the side of his face absently as he tripped over his words again.

"Sorry, I'm just... This is new to me."

She laughed again.

"What a coincidence. I was born in Nohr but raised here."

He chuckled awkwardly before coughing as his throat threatened to seize up again. Aqua gave him one more light pat on the back while he straightened up, giggling softly.

He cleared his throat.

"So you're from Nohr?"

"Yes," she replied, evenly. But there was something about her face, a twitch at the corners of her mouth, that made Kamui feel like he was intruding. She hesitated, taking a breath before continuing. "But there were... circumstances behind it. I--"

"No, forget it." He waved his hands, cutting her off. She would have continued, he could tell. But she didn’t want to, and that was enough for him. "I don't want to hear it." He gave her a small smile, letting his arms drop back down to his side.

She sighed lightly with what he assumed was relief, nodding.

A silence hung between them, and Kamui picked at his weird Hoshido robes awkwardly, trying to think of a way to break the tension.

"Sooo..." He settled on, panicking a bit as he realized he didn't actually have anything after that to say. "You, uh. Dance?"

Her face softened, and she held out her arms. He took them tentatively, and she spun close to him gracefully, her hair and skirt fanning out behind her. For a few moments he stood there stupidly, allowing her to pull at his arms, mesmerized by how fluid her movements were, and how she delicately floated around him, hardly seeming to touch the ground.

She exhaled through her nose, stepping close to him again and stopping, still holding his hands. "Not good at dancing?"

"Oh, n-no. I was just... unprepared." He argued, frowning a little as he felt his cheeks flush. Aqua chuckled in response.

"Just follow my lead."

Letting go of one of his hands, she drew her arm out and away from them as she leaned away, still focusing on him. He mimicked her movement, peeking out a little bit to make note of her outstretched leg and pointed foot as well, before adjusting himself to match.

Slowly, the two of them made circles around the courtyard, with Aqua doing a complicated but elegant routine, and Kamui following her closely. As they continued, they picked up speed, and Aqua found herself having to stop fewer times. Her dance partner seemed to be picking up the movements, albeit a bit more clumsily than she.

Soon, the two of them were nearly in sync with each other, as the blue-haired woman lead them across the cobblestones, coaxing Kamui into twirls as they grew more comfortable. She finally ended their dance by literally sweeping him off of his feet when she dipped him far lower than he was comfortable with, as he clung to her like a drowning man to a rock.

She seemed to hardly have worked up a sweat, while he looked strained and was panting. At the sight, she attempted to stifle laughter, but failed. He grimaced, pulling himself back to his feet, but couldn't hold the frown for long. Her laugh was like music, and he found himself chuckling as well.

But it was his turn now.

He grabbed her hands with a grin, an evil glint in his eyes. She let out a half-shriek, half-laugh as he pulled her in close, before dragging her in energetic circles.

His style of dance was quicker than hers, and he didn't wait for her to learn the steps as the two of them began making their way around once again, bounding across the smoothed surface as she erupted in laughter. There was more footwork involved, and less arm gestures, and she soon found that there was not so much in the ways of specific dance moves, just movement and feeling. It wasn't long before the two of them were a giggling, out-of-breath mess, nearly falling over themselves in the middle of the garden.

"You have a very, hm...  _ energetic _ style, there." She managed between chuckles.

"My instructor would say the same thing." He pulled away from her, straightening his back and adopting a rather exaggerated frown, crossing his arms. " 'Lord Kamui, this dance is supposed to be restrained and graceful. Not this mad, chaotic flailing of limbs!' " He shook his hands and arms in emphasis, and Aqua let out a most uncivilized snort as she doubled over in laughter again.

"He must have hated you."

"He did. My swordsmanship instructors hated me too."

"Instructors?" She emphasized the 's' at the end, wiping tears out of her eyes.

He sighed emphatically, shrugging his shoulders and arms and trying not to snigger. "I went through at least ten."

"What a colorful upbringing!"

The two of them continued their fits of laughter, making their way to the walkway of the building and sitting down on it beside each other, their legs hanging over the side.

He decided that he liked Aqua, and he liked how she laughed and smiled. She'd seemed so solemn when he'd first seen her, but now it was hard to imagine her with such a grim expression. Not after he’d seen how bright her smile was. What could have happened to her that being reserved and withdrawn had been her default state? He wondered about it dimly in the back of his mind, but kept it to himself as the two of them made more light-hearted small talk. He didn’t want to ruin the moment by asking her to continue what she’d been about to tell him when they’d been making introductions. 

He just wanted her to keep smiling.

 

\--

 

"What do you  _ mean _ , you lost him!?" Leon yelled, trailing after his older brother Marx, as they walked through the castle halls at a very quick pace. Their younger sister Elise followed behind them, trotting every once in a while to keep up with their rushed gait, while their older sister kept a slower pace slightly behind them.

"We were separated." Marx replied curtly, attempting to brush off the issue -- not because he felt there wasn't one, but simply because he was yet to decide how to deal with it, and could hardly hear himself think with Leon's shouting. "Is that clear enough for you, dear brother, or shall I use smaller words." His words were laced with enough venom that they ceased to be a question.

Leon hissed, grabbing his brother's coat and dragging him down so their faces were mere centimeters apart.

"Why didn't you search for him?!"

"I didn't notice until we were marching -- would you have me risk the entire army going back to find him?"

"He's your brother! You should have gone back for him!"

"Leon!" Marx spat, grabbing Leon's hands roughly and removing them from his clothing. "Do not assume for a  _ moment _ that you are more worried about his safety than I. But I am in charge of our army.  _ I cannot put them all into harm’s way for just one soldier _ , even if he _ is _ my brother."

Leon quaked in fury, but found no words to argue his cause. Logic dictated that Marx was right, much as he hated to admit it.

"I'll go." Camilla offered, her tone even as she sauntered closer to the two of them, passing Elise. "My unit can travel further and faster than the others. We can search."

Marx let out a small huff, scowling as he contemplated the idea. Leon, to his side, looked about ready to protest, but his brother responded too quickly for him to actually form a sentence, clapping a hand to Camilla's shoulder.

"Go. But go with only your two best. I want you back before tomorrow morning, with or without him."

She nodded, and made ready to leave, but he grabbed her once more as she was turning.

"Bring Joker and Zero with you." He added as an afterthought. She would have resisted the idea, citing that the extra weight would slow them down, but she knew there was no arguing this one. As one of his servants, Joker knew Kamui’s habits well, and bringing one of Leon’s most trusted retainers would placate their younger brother as well.

And, she had to admit, they would be more than useful.

 

\--

 

Joker and Zero worked in near silence, combing the battlefield and occasionally giving each other complicated hand gestures from a distance. They'd already covered a pretty good amount of distance, thanks in part to Marx remembering roughly what direction the prince had broken off to at the start of the battle.

It bothered Camilla to have to rely on the two of them, especially Zero, who she didn't trust as far as she could throw, but though it hadn't snowed since the battle, the smell of rot and ash were too strong for the wyverns to pick out Kamui's scent. Thus, she was stuck overseeing as the two men worked, joined by her two best women and their mounts, who were searching to the best of their abilities in spite of the sickly smell the area gave off.

A low whistle cut through the air, and she turned her head to note Joker waving her over. Zero was already skulking that direction.

Camilla motioned to her other two to keep searching where they were, and walked toward them. When she got there, Joker was kneeling, already explaining things to Zero.

"Footprints. Three sets. These in the middle appear to be barefoot."

"Judging from these prints, the others were two of ours. There's a definite heel to the boots, see?" Zero continued in his stead, leaning down and gesturing to some pock marks in the damp ground. "If this is the prince -- and I can't imagine anyone else stupid enough to be on a battlefield without shoes -- then he was with two of our soldiers."

Camilla glared at the "stupid" part, though it wasn't entirely untrue. They'd tried to get him to wear something on his feet for years before giving up, much to the displeasure of other nobles and the castle's staff.

Joker stood, picking up where Zero had left off, dusting himself off with one hand in the process. "He was headed back up the hill.” He waved in the general direction to illustrate his findings before continuing. “He must have realized that the armies were pulling out, and made to join up with them."

She envied how absolutely spotless he managed to appear, even in this mess of a place. Here he was, wearing a white shirt and with hair just as light, and there wasn't even a speck of dust on him. Meanwhile, her attire was darkly colored, and caked in mud. The  _ nerve. _

At least  _ Zero _ looked every bit the dirty thug he was.

She waved them both off to continue the search, and the two of them took off in an instant, zigging and zagging through trees as they picked up any traces of footprints in the earth. Camilla followed them a bit more slowly.

Occasionally, they would come across a body that the two would stop in front of, and she felt her chest tighten at every one until she was close enough to see that the body was from Hoshido and that the two had already started off again.

"Here." Zero announced suddenly. "They were ambushed."

Her heart almost stopped at the news.

"A group of Hoshido soldiers. Light on their feet." He kept going, keeping low to the ground as he brushed and scraped dirt and dried blood out of the way of his tracking, Camilla practically glued to his side. "His little honor guard, there and... there." He pointed to the fallen bodies of a sorceress and foot soldier, tangled up in a mess of Hoshido bodies, already beginning to rot. "And Prince Kamui..." He pointed to a small pile of a couple bodies towards the middle of where the scuffle had been that Joker was already inspecting.

"So he's..."

"He's alive." Joker cut in from the distance. "Or, was, at this point."

Camilla rushed to him, Zero close behind. The butler waited for them to both arrive before he continued. "You see, my lady, this one has been disturbed." He pointed to one of the bodies. "I believe the prince was caught under him, possibly unconscious, but alive. Judging by these scrape marks, he got himself out just fine. Started heading..." He motioned back up the hill. "That way."

"Must’ve been a little while after it all ended." Zero chimed in, resting his hands on his hips nonchalantly. "His tracks seem pretty aimless."

Camilla could feel herself breathing again, thank the gods. She was so caught up in relief that it took her a few moments to realize that they'd continued ahead of her. Being careful of her steps, she noticed some long lines in the dirt below. After motioning to Joker, who was closer, she gestured at the lines in confusion, as concern washed over her face. "What happened here?"

Joker shrugged a little bit. "The prince was probably dragging his sword along the ground. I imagine he was fairly exhausted at that point."

She looked at him, dumbfounded. "This isn't anything to be worried about?" Joker shook his head, before giving her a curt bow and continuing after Zero. She lingered a bit longer after he’d gone head, not entirely convinced but hoping he was right. He seemed confident in his diagnosis, at least. She had no choice to defer to him on the matter, since tracking was out of her realm of expertise. 

"This might be, though." Zero called from further ahead.

"Why? What happened to my Kamui?" She demanded, striding purposefully over to the two with a scowl on her face.

"He got caught." Zero answered matter-of-factly. "Must’ve been some others still on the battlefield. See, these dips here -- he was pinned." He pointed to some indentations on the ground. "Seems like he tried to run away, but didn't get very far."

This trip was becoming far too trying for her tastes.

"So what happened to him? I don't see a body." Her inquisitions came out shorter and more irritated than was probably professional, but this was her little brother they were talking about.

"He wasn't killed,” he began with a sly smile. She narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to continue grinning like that about the matter. He pretended not to notice as he continued. “They would’ve left him. He was taken." He pointed out the direction the tracks receded in, and Camilla noted that there were no bare feet markings beside the other two sets. The footprints were also headed away from the hill Kamui had been heading towards on his own.

"Took him… to Hoshido?"

"Yeah." Zero nodded slowly. "Not sure why. Hostage, maybe? I don't know if he's alive or dead, but he's in Hoshido."

She couldn't decide if this was a relief or not.

Huffing loudly, she planted her hands on her hips.

"Fine, we know where he is. Joker, darling, I want you to make an official report. Of the fancy, written variety. And I want it completed by the time we return to the capital -- don't think I don't know how nice your handwriting can be even while riding. Zero, I want you to do one last search of the area. If you can find anything useful or valuable, you bring it back. We leave in twenty minutes, understood?"

Joker bowed deeply, and Zero nodded, as Camilla turned to notify her other two retainers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was sitting on this for a while, sorry! The next (and final) chapter should not take nearly as long to post as this one did.
> 
> As a side note, now that Fates has been out for a while (and I've been slowly making my way through it), I haven't changed any of the plot beats to this fic in response. So I guess it's an AU now or something? But yeah. Still spoiler free.


	5. Above the Clouds

Kamui and Aqua had become fast friends over the previous evening. After exhausting themselves dancing, they'd simply laid down on the stone pathway of the courtyard, staring up at the stars and talking about all manner of things. Aqua had been quite pleased to hear of the goings on of Nohr, and Kamui had been talked through the proper usage of those 'chopstick' things he'd encountered earlier.

After hours of chatting, she had escorted him back to the room he was staying in -- the same one he'd woken up in, bound at the wrists, in what felt like another lifetime. So much had happened, he could hardly believe it had only been a few days.

The next morning, he found himself waking up far earlier than he would have liked due to the nature of the room. It seemed that those paper walls that the building so enjoyed using did very little to keep out the light, so once the sun started peeking in, he found himself blearily staring at the ceiling wishing that he'd have brought some stone walls with him.

The accursed Hoshido fabric, soft as it was, was also very ineffective at blocking light. Of course, he didn’t discover this fact until  _ after _ wrapping his borrowed shirt around his face.

Groaning, he sat up, and immediately cursed himself for trying the face-wrap method in the first place. He'd been unable to get the silk wrap -- obi, Aqua had called it -- tied properly without Ryouma's help before, what had made him think he could do it himself this time?

And so, he resigned himself to just having to deal with his shirt being completely open and falling off of him until he could find someone to help him out again, in spite of how much he felt -- and looked, he was sure -- like a slob.

Judging from some sounds from the hallway, though, he wasn't the only one awake, so maybe aid wouldn't be so hard to track down.  _ Everyone must be up with the sun in this country, _ he figured.

No, wait, there had been some buildings in town he remembered only having wooden walls. Maybe they could sleep in a bit. No, no, that wasn't right either. They had probably been peasants -- they'd be up with the sun and doing chores.

With a huff, he decided, not for the first time since his visit began, that Hoshido was weird.

Throwing the wrap around his neck like a scarf, he stepped over to the door-walls (he couldn't tell if all walls were also doors or not, though he knew that these ones lead to the hall) and slid one of the panels far enough to the side to create an opening for himself, closing it behind him as he entered the long hallway.

There seemed to be some kind of commotion, as people bustled past him in such a hurry that he practically clung to the walls to be out of their way. Some people, he recognized from earlier, but many were complete strangers.

He'd been so focused on watching the latest group go by, however, that he completely missed the approach of his younger, stabby-er brother.

"What in the world are you doing?" He annunciated the 'you' sharply, as if it burned his tongue. When Kamui didn't answer quickly enough, he frowned, taking in the full image of his wardrobe-challenged sibling. "And what in the world makes you think you look anything resembling presentable?"

He scoffed, and bridged the gap between the two of them before Kamui could find the proper excuse.

"I had some trouble." He settled on, making a face and staring at the ceiling.

"Ugh, honestly?" Takumi grabbed the obi from his brother's neck, draping it over one of his arms as he straightened Kamui's shirt for him. "You're absolutely hopeless. Hold this here and turn around."

Kamui rolled his eyes and did as he was told, smiling a bit when his back was turned at the attention he was getting. Takumi hadn't given him so much as the time of day during their previous meetings -- he was a better kid than he let on. "We don't have these kinds of clothing in Nohr; how am I supposed to know how they work?"

Takumi snorted a little at the retort, wrapping the silk around his brother's waist and beginning to fold -- he assumed, anyway; Kamui wasn't quite sure what kind of magic was involved, to be honest -- the wrap into a proper tie in the back. "What do you have there, then?"

"Laces." He replied dryly. He felt a few small tugs, before Takumi, apparently satisfied with his work, gave him a small pat on the back to let him know he was finished. Kamui turned to look at his brother, who was avoiding his gaze. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, before turning his attention to their feet, suddenly distracted by his older brother's lack of footwear. "Hmph, just like Aqua. Weirdo."

Kamui rolled his eyes again, grinning.

"What's going on, anyway?" He asked, as a few more people ran by. One of them, Kamui recognized as the girl with salmon -- Sakura, Sakura was her name. And she was his sister. Gods, it was hard to remember everyone. She seemed to notice the two of them as well, and doubled back to them.

She looked a little worse-for-wear than last he'd seen her. She seemed jumpy, and her clothing seemed to be in slight disarray.

"Bro-brothers! I-I greet you on this fine morning!"

What a polite young woman, he noted dully. Takumi waved it off, and Kamui just kind of stared at her.

"What's wrong?"

"A-ah, yes. Um, that is to say, it seems that my vassal, that is, er..." She trailed off, shuffling awkwardly, before collecting her thoughts and taking a deep breath. "Tsubaki has just returned. I was going to greet him, but it appears he has some important news, and was rushed to dear brother Ryouma."

She had hardly finished speaking before Takumi was off like lightning, Sakura once again taking off only moments after.

Kamui wasn't sure who this Tsubaki person was, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to go after them as well. Luckily, the meeting room was only a short distance away, and he slipped in after his two siblings with ease.

The room was packed with people lining three of the walls -- the fourth wall seemed to have been slid completely open, revealing the courtyard he'd so come to enjoy. He wasn't sure entirely why this was the case until he noted two pegasi pacing back and forth just past the raised walkway. He'd never seen one so close before.

He also caught sight of Aqua a little ways away, but she didn't appear to notice him, as her gaze was glued to where Hinoka and Ryouma were standing instead.

Sakura and Takumi joined their older siblings in the center of the room, where they stood across a seated man with auburn hair pulled back into a ponytail. He seemed flustered but came across as quite presentable -- though his clothing was slightly dirty, every fold seemed so meticulously plotted to be there that Kamui was, frankly, impressed. Not a hair seemed to be out of place. Matted down from sweat, maybe, but still exactly where it was supposed to be.

He seemed to be hurriedly discussing something with Ryouma, who looked troubled, but Kamui couldn't quite make out what they were saying. He snuck a bit closer.

"... ambushed. The rest of the scouting unit was crushed. I don't know why they attacked us so suddenly, but they're out for blood." The man, he must be that 'Tsubaki' that Sakura had mentioned, spoke quickly but carefully. He was putting a lot of effort into looking composed, but his hands, clenched in fists and resting on his knees, were shaking.

Ryouma pinched the bridge of his nose, deep in thought, as Tsubaki continued.

"It's not like the last few times they've come after us. It's not just Marx this time, either. Every one of their generals are out on the battlefield. They're bringing their entire army to meet us, and burning down villages as they cross our lands."

Kamui's heart did flips in his chest. On the one hand, he couldn't condone this cruelty, if Tsubaki's words were true. On the other, he knew, somewhere down in his gut, that they were doing this for him. They had come to rescue him.

_ Do they know? _

He hadn't considered it before now, and the idea that they knew he was from Hoshido and had been lying to him all this time hit him like a ton of bricks.

They must have known. Or, at the very least, his brothers and Camilla must have known.

_ Why did they keep it from me? _

No, no, that's not right. He couldn't blame them for it. They had been nothing but wonderful siblings to him for as long as he could remember. He was proud to call them family.

If they had told him, he would have ended up like Aqua. Sad and distant.

"Those curs. Where were they headed?"

"To the valley; I think they plan on having a stand-off with us there. They should reach it within a few days time, at their current pace." Tsubaki panted.

"Fine." Ryouma growled. "We'll meet them there." He turned to Takumi and Hinoka. "Hino, get a message out to all our generals. Tell them we leave as soon as we are able. Taku, I want you to organize all troops in the castle. They're to be armed and ready by dawn tomorrow." The two of them nodded.

Hinoka, in a single swift movement, had cleared the walkway and mounted one of the pegasi, kicking at its flank to get it moving. It reared up and took to the sky.

Takumi picked out a few assistants from the crowd -- his vassals, Kamui assumed -- and rushed from the room to carry out his own task.

"Sakura, take Tsubaki's pegasus to the stables, and then see about our supplies."

She nodded, and gently lead the mount away. Tsubaki looked about to protest, but clammed up at the last second.

"The rest of you -- you all have jobs to do! Get to them!"

There was a shout of affirmation, and the bulk of the crowd rushed out of the room.

Ryouma made to leave, setting off about three alarms in Kamui's mind. He jogged to his brother, catching up fairly quickly, and grabbed his shoulder with one hand, causing the man to turn around. "Wait. Ryouma. I'm going with you."

Ryouma frowned, letting out a sharp breath. "No, you stay here."

"Ryouma! I have to go! I--"

He was cut off as his older brother clasped both his shoulders roughly, making him flinch a bit. "You need to stay here. After all this time, we've only just gotten you back. We can't lose you again.  _ I _ can't lose you again."

Kamui opened his mouth to object, but Ryouma clapped his hands around his brother's cheeks, squishing them lightly, and keeping Kamui's face looking square into his eyes.

"You stay here. Understood?"

He tried to look away, but Ryouma held his head fast, repeating his question with more force. He looked down at his feet, and Ryouma sighed, letting go of his face and patting him gently on the shoulder, before turning and leaving.

"You can't make me. I'm not part of your army." Kamui muttered, once the older man was out of earshot, childishly puffing out his cheeks.

Of course, as leader of the army, Ryouma probably  _ could _ make him stay behind, if he were diligent about checking. Kamui hoped he'd be too busy dealing with the threat of invasion to assign him a bodyguard or babysitter.

Aqua approached him slowly, patting his back reassuringly as she got close enough. She'd learned just how jumpy he could be, and took great care in making herself as gently conspicuous as possible. Kamui sighed deeply, appreciating the touch, hanging his head briefly before turning to face her.

"I have to go. They're my family. They're both my family! I can't let them fight."

"I know."

And she really did know. Out of all the people in the world, at least she knew.

"Uh, Miss Aqua, I don't mean to interrupt..." They'd been so wrapped up in each other, they'd forgotten entirely about the pegasus rider still hanging about, standing sheepishly a few feet from the two. He had a strange look on his face, like he was trying to hide his suspicion about the display but couldn't quite cover it up. "But I'm afraid I don't recognize this gentleman?"

_ You wouldn't _ , Kamui thought bitterly. Keeping track of who recognized him and who didn't was becoming such a chore. Though, if this man was a vassal of Sakura's...

He didn't get to finish the thought, as he noticed a sly smile play over Aqua's face.

"Tsubaki, I hadn't noticed you there. Say, do you have any spare pegasi?"

It took Kamui an entire second to make the connection, at which point he began sputtering and waving his arms at her like a madman.

"No. No, no, no. Aqua, I've never been this close to one before, much less ridden one. I haven't even mounted one of the wyverns back home,  _ I can't  _ \--"

"I can ride." She cut in, smugly. "You can just hold on."

 

\--

 

And hold on, he did.

Somehow, the two of them had managed to convince Tsubaki to not only lend them a pegasus and sneak them into his (very small) unit, but also to keep his mouth shut about it for the entire length of the journey, even to Sakura. They'd even roped him into helping find Kamui's Nohrian clothes and sword. He supposed that borrowing the uniform of a pegasus rider would have suited his needs better, but the idea of going into battle in anything else bothered him. Aqua seemed about the same, spurning a uniform just as he did in favor of clothing she was more used to.

Kamui found the height to be both exhilarating and terrifying. Aqua was flying high, but apart from the rest of the fleet of sky horses. The air was thin, and Kamui could feel his chest pounding as he swallowed, attempting to whet his throat. The sound of wings flapping amidst the otherwise silent stillness of the air was deafening.

It was beautiful.

And this was an absolutely terrible time to be lost in the moment, he reminded himself bitterly, groaning deeply as he rested his head on Aqua's back, arms still wrapped firmly around her waist for support. He could feel Aqua chuckle lightly at his expense, though the actual sound was lost amidst the powerful beating of their mount's wings.

Ryouma's army was standing at the ready below them, with he and his siblings at the forefront. Ryouma himself stood cross-armed and at full height, scowling at the scenery before him as the Nohr army came into view. At his side, Takumi readied an arrow.

Marx and his soldiers moved quickly. With a  _ purpose _ . Each one was steely-faced and ready for combat, though none as much as Marx himself, who's glare was so hard that it looked like he'd been chiseled from stone. He was accompanied by all of his siblings as well, and Kamui felt his heart drop to see even Elise on the battlefield.

Kamui fought his way through Aqua's hair to reach her ear, telling her that they needed to descend. He'd worried that his voice had been lost, but she nodded and guided the beast lower. As low as she could without arising any suspicion from the rest of the troops, though they didn't seem to be paying much attention anyway.

All eyes were on the two eldest princes, Marx trotting ahead on his steed while Ryouma marched likewise.

The two stood their ground within awkwardly-raised-voice-conversation distance, though they stared at each other in disdain for many a moment before finally breaking the silence.

"Well, if it isn't the crown prince himself." Ryouma mocked. He shifted his weight and crossed his arms, giving Marx his best scowl to go along with it.

"Barbarian scum. You have something of mine. I'll be taking it back." Marx spat out bitterly, each word dripping with contempt.

"Yours?! You've marched your entire army onto our lands, burning villages and murdering civilians, so that you could steal from us as well?"

From the distance, Kamui couldn't make out their words, only hear that they were shouting. When hands went to their weapons, though, he knew that he had to interfere, and he had to do it  _ now _ . The pegasus wouldn't make it in time.

He shot a quick glance at Aqua, who caught his eyes with her own panicked look and nodded.

Before he could decide that it was a bad idea, he let go of her waist, gripping the belts holding the saddle in place with one hand, and drawing his sword with the other as he leaned over the side of the beast, as close to it's stomach as he could get without running the risk of getting kicked. His heart skipped several beats, but he wouldn't let panic stop his decision. He kicked off of it's side and plunged himself down towards the battlefield.

He immediately regretted it, of course. But as he shot towards the rapidly approaching surface, he felt something more like calm than fear. Still, the ground was coming up very fast, which was cause for concern.

He raised his sword above his head and swung, the blade cutting into the earth below with a sound that was something between a chunk and a swish, effectively stopping his movement, as well as stopping his brothers just short of trying to kill each other as they stared in shock.

It may have been a good landing (by some standards of "good" rather than "haphazard"), but it still hurt. He bit at the side of his cheek to distract himself from the tingling pain in his arms and legs, and lurched a little, hunching over as he caught his breath.

"Kamui!" Ryouma yelled, the first to react to his sudden appearance. "I told you to wait back at the castle!!"

Kamui took a deep breath, sparing a single glance at Ryouma, before turning to Marx and standing up straight, ignoring the throbbing pain in his ankles and the sudden desire to be doing literally anything other than staying on his feet. Somewhere behind him and to the right, he heard the tell-tale swoosh of Aqua and her pegasus touching down, and felt the gust of wind billow around his hair and cape.

"So, you were in Hoshido after all." Marx mused aloud, his eyes narrowing.

Kamui pulled his sword from the earth, head throbbing as he tried to figure out what to say. Finally, he decided on, "Yes." His brother frowned, and Kamui swallowed hard before continuing. “I can’t let you fight them.”

Marx scoffed. “So, you plan on turning your back on us for this rabble? After all these years?”

Kamui felt his eyes narrow at the comment. “You knew. You  _ knew _ , all this time, didn’t you?” He saw his brother swallow, looking slightly taken aback, but Marx made no attempt to deny the accusation.

“I knew.” He replied after a moment. “Do you resent me for that?”

Kamui could feel his blood boil in his veins and his breath quicken at the news. He’d thought of the possibility before, but now, to have it confirmed? In spite of having expected it, he still found himself enraged that his family had lied to him for so long. Then, he heard the swoosh of Aqua dismounting, the light padding of her feet as she took a few tentative steps towards him, and he felt his anger melt away. He liked Aqua, but he pitied her.

He was glad they weren’t the same.

“No.” Came Kamui’s quiet reply, as he looked down at the sword in his hand. A gift from the king. Marx had been so proud. He and his siblings had celebrated until dawn. Blood or no, their bonds were real. They were  _ family _ . “I don’t.” 

He took a deep breath, once again meeting Marx’s eyes. “But I can’t let you fight them.” He heard movement behind him at that remark, and turned to face Ryouma. “Nor can I let  _ you _ fight  _ them _ .” He annunciated each of his words sharply, frowning.

“That won’t work.” It was Marx who spoke up. Glancing back that way, Kamui noted that his other siblings had caught up. Camilla and Leon had dismounted, even, and were approaching with confused frowns on their faces.

“I’ll have to agree with him on this.” Ryouma this time, flanked by the rest of his family as well, who looked equally hurt as the Nohrians. “Kamui, you’ll have to choose. Them or us.” There was a look in his eyes that Kamui couldn’t quite place. Desperation and hurt? He held out his hand, beckoning his brother to take it. “Come over here.”

“Kamui!” Came the roaring voice of Marx. “Return to us!” He motioned towards himself, trying to lure his brother over.

He could hear his other siblings on either side murmuring as well, but at this point he couldn’t process what they were saying. Choose? Between his Nohr family and his Hoshido one? Kamui glanced between the two sides as if he were staring at Death itself. Even Aqua’s presence did nothing to soothe him, in spite of the good it had done before.

_ Oh, gods.  _

_ What do I do now? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Thank you for reading. : >
> 
> I don't know if/when/for what I'll write again, but it feels good to know I'm capable of it. I'm pretty proud.


End file.
